Stranger Endings 2
by dj-santa
Summary: A slightly different take on the story starting at the end of season 2 episode 8 . Mileven, Jopper, Lumax are all included.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: So, this is my first Fanfiction involving stranger things. I have been a huge fan of this series since it originally came out and the fact that the duffer brothers have done such an excellent job with the plot and the characters is the reason it has taken me this long to even give this a shot. I truly felt for the longest time that there was no feasible way to do these characters justice with writing until recently when I started reading other fanfictions on here. You guys gave me a lot of inspiration with all your wonderful stories and I would like to thank you in unknowingly breaking me out of the barrier I placed around myself and now giving me a shot at this. So, without further ado enjoy the story.)

"They know where we are," Hopper stated quickly making his way over to will. Hopper and Joyce began untying the restraints while Jonathan and Mike continued looking around, listening for the demodogs.

"Alright we need to get back inside NOW," Hopper screamed as he reached down to pick Will up in his arms and headed off towards the house being followed by the other three.

At this moment the ground began to rumble as if there was something moving under it, Mike looked back for a split second to see what was coming out of the hole in the back yard

"They are coming" Mike yelled breathlessly ahead to Hopper as he reached the door throwing it open and running inside.

Hopper quickly set Will down on the couch and grabbed a rifle and looked to Jonathan

"Can you use this"?

"I.. I Think… I.." Jonathan barely managed to get out before being interrupted by the older wheeler sibling.

"Toss It here I can use it", She said catching the rifle and making sure it was loaded. Hopper then proceeded to lock and load his own rifle and pointed it towards the window near the front of the house, breathing heavily He thought "I have no intentions of letting them die today".

He had thought back to his Sarah and how it had hurt when lost her and refused to let anything like that happen again, which then brought his mind to El.

"Shit… She is never gonna speak to me again after this," He thought

Everyone rounds up into the living room grabbing whatever weapon they can find

Lucas has his wrist rocket, Steve has his trusty bat, Mike is armed with a candle stick, and Hopper and Nancy are both carrying the rifles as they all hear a deafening screech outside. Then suddenly it had stopped with what sounded like cracking vertebrae.

Everyone looked around a little suspiciously due to the lack of noise outside until the shattering of the front window with an object crashing through jars everyone back into situation. Everyone jumps back from the creature that is now lying on the ground in the Byers living room with its head slumped over.

"Is it dead,? Dustin the first to manage to get words out asked

Hopper carefully walked over to the creature and moved its head around in a way proving that the creature was indeed dead.

"Yeah, it is dead" Hopper replied setting everyone slightly at ease until the deadbolt lock on the front door turned unlocking.

Hopper, Nancy, and Lucas immediately aimed their weapons at the door not entirely sure if they were ready for what was going to come through. Joyce stood near Will on the couch while Mike stood right next to Hopper with Steve and Jonathan flanking right behind him. Dustin was with Max right behind Lucas.

As the last lock on the door slowly came undone everyone watched tensely as the door slowly swung open to reveal the white converse shoes and the person wearing them.

As She walked in she took in the surrounding; Hopper looked like he had just seen a ghost. But she couldn't focus on any other faces because she was scanning the room for one face and one face only.

His.

Finally, her eyes met his in what felt like one of the happiest moments of her life was to see him again for him to know she was there.

Mike Could not believe his eyes; As she walked in he was in an utter state of disbelief.

"353 days" he thought to himself

He continued to stare at her, his eyes beginning to get misty as he slowly walked toward her.

She began walking toward him flashing one of her trademark smiles that are only reserved for him, for Mike… for her mike.

Mike began smiling awkwardly because of the whirlpool of emotion raging within him that he didn't dare speak until they were mere feet apart.

"Eleven"

"Mike" They simultaneously whispered before crashing into each other in a huge hug, letting all the emotions of the last 353 days out and allowing each other to feel it.

"I never gave up on you" he wiped at his eyes to rid them of the welled-up tears

"I called you everyday, everyday for-

"353 days" She finished looking deep into his eyes asking for forgiveness.

He looked at her heartbroken

"I heard" she continued considering his eyes, searching for what he was feeling

"Why didn't you talk back"? he finally choked out

"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper piped up walking past Mike toward Eleven.

"What the hell is this, where have you been"? He questioned her

"Where have you been,"? She replied heatedly before Hopper embraced her in a hug.

While this happened, the wheels began to turn in Mikes head and everything finally made sense now… and he was furious. Beyond Furious

Mike walked up behind the Chief and put as much strength as he could muster into the shove successfully knocking Hopper off his feat luckily avoiding bringing Eleven down with him.

"You have been hiding her all this time…. You asshole." Mike yelled louder than he had intended.

As he landed on his side he shot Mike a surprised look

"Listen kid I was doing what was best for you, her and your family," Hopper stated as he got back to his feet surprised that the kid had that much power in him to knock him over. "I might have to be careful with him in the future" he thought to himself

Mike looked back to Eleven who had started tearing up due to the altercation between the man that has become like a dad to her, and the boy she has come to see as her best friend.

What she saw in mikes eyes hurt her even more then she could ever say in words, it was written all over his face…

Heartbreak.

"You listened to him all this time, you couldn't once have let me know you were ok,"? His emotions starting to get the better of him.

"Mike that's..-" Lucas and Dustin tried to speak up in her defense but go cut off by Mike glaring back at them.

"Mike.. I.. I really w..wa..wanted to but he told me it would p..put you in d..da…danger," Eleven barely got out between sobs.

Mike started getting a little red in the face not really knowing what to do here. He was still furious at Hopper and still very upset Eleven hadn't contacted him in all that time.

Suddenly the front door kicked wide open and four demodogs came running in shocking everyone since they thought that eleven had killed them all. One of them had cornered Lucas, Max, Dustin, Joyce, and Jonathan while another cornered Nancy, Hopper, Eleven, and Steve.

In this moment El was able to tap back into her powers and was able to kill the two dogs that were corning the two separate groups, but she realized too late that someone was missing.

Outside everyone could hear the faint sound of screaming,

"Help El," was all Mike could get out as he fainted from the pain of being dragged by two demodogs by the arms down into the tunnel network leading back to the lab.

El ran outside staring at the hole in the ground and began walking toward it

"Mike…Mike….MIKE!"

(A/N: To be continued, when I started writing this I didn't really think I would need more chapters but it seems as though this story isn't quite complete without another one. There will be Mileven in the end (After all I'm a huge shipper of them) don't worry guys but in the mean time I thought that I would add a bit of a twist on to the final scene in episode 8 and given the ending of season two a slightly different ending. Don't worry it will still end with the Snow ball just minor details here and there will be included. Anyways that is all for now I will try and update soon (Next couple of days) If you could please enjoy read, review I would love to know what everyone thinks and if they think there is anything I could potentially be doing better.)


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Ok So I am extremely sorry for the delayed update, I know I said it would only be 2-3 days but my computer kind of went haywire, so it needed to get fixed. However, once I got my computer back I got the best possible news of hearing that Netflix has officially confirmed Season 3 (As if they had a choice) so that gave me a lot of motivation to continue with this story and I believe that I have some pretty good plans coming up for our favorite characters. Anyways Hope you enjoy this and thank you so much for the support and all the love.)**

"Mike...Mike….MIKE,!" El screamed at the top of her lungs not caring who was listening. They had taken the one person that was always there for her, the one person who would have done anything to protect her and keep her safe They took Mike; They took her Mike.

As El began walking towards the hole in the back of the Byers yard, she slowly started to pick up speed until she was at a dead sprint towards the crevasse that swallowed Mike up with no remorse. El was too busy violently wiping tears out of her eyes to realize that someone was trailing her and quickly scooped her up before she reached the hole.

"Put me down, I need to find him!" She pleaded in between sobs. Not caring about anything else but finding Mike and setting everything right. She began to look back on the last 353 days and wondered why she had listened to Hopper… All he did was lie, he said she would see Mike soon and that never came until she left of her own free will from her wooden prison she now called home.

"Look El I know you want to save him, but we need to think this through before we go rushing in there," Hopper tried explaining to her, but he slowly started to realize that he needed to give her a motive or she was never going to agree to waiting.

Before he got that chance to explain why they needed to wait and think this plan out he suddenly lost all control of his body, as if he were a puppet waiting for its strings to move. Against his will his arms had opened allowing the girl he now considered his daughter to drop free to the ground.

"Mike needs me NOW," She explained in a quiet and unwavering voice. In her mind there was only one option, Find Mike and kill the creatures that took him.

El looked back at Hopper giving him her trademark glare while using her power to gently throw him back near the front porch where the rest of the party was still staring dumbfounded at the exchange between the Chief and El.

As El was about to turn back toward the hole she heard something that finally stopped her in her tracks.

"This isn't what Mike would want you to do El,"

El froze, knowing whose voice that was turned back around and stared at the curly haired boy she had just found out has teeth.

Figuring out that he had finally got her attention Dustin continued talking hoping more than anything that he would be able to convince her to stick around long enough to formulate a plan to rescue Mike and free Will from the Mind flayer.

"Listen El I know that you want to go rescue him right now but think about it, if they wanted Mike dead they could've killed him already," Dustin explained hoping beyond everything that she could see the logic in his thinking.

"I think the dogs took Mike because they know that we would immediately chase after them trying to rescue him. So, they probably have a trap set down there for us if we were to go right now," Dustin finished his train of thought hoping that she would understand what he was saying when thankfully another in the party chimed in.

"Yeah El, If we were to chase them right now we would probably all get killed. We need to take a little bit of time and plan out an attack plan so that we are one step ahead of them when we do this," Lucas stated looking at El hoping she would see the sense in everything that they were saying.

The struggle between wanting to jump down the hole and stay here to make a plan was killing El inside. Deep down it feels like every second she wastes up here planning is a second that Mike could be getting hurt, or even killed. Finally, logic ruled out and she decided on her plan of action.

"Ok… I'll stay, but not long," She gave in as she started walking back towards the house Shoulders rising and falling with each deep breath she took praying that she wouldn't start crying once again. She started to feel guilty for how she treated Hopper and she continued to feel guilt for hurting Mike for those 353 days.

Hopper finally on his feet decided not to test his luck with reprimanding his little girl and instead chose to walk up to her once she reached the porch and hugged her. In the time they have been together she hasn't quite replaced Sarah, but she was pretty damn close to it. Which made Hopper realize that he couldn't let Mike die. He needed to find that kid soon or El might never recover.

"Don't worry El, we will find him, and we will save him," He said to her looking right into her dark brown eyes. She looked back into his eyes with a pained expression and tears threatening to leave the corners of her eyes and he wished he had the power to take the pain away but right now he needed to focus on making the plan for the rescue, freeing Will, and finally closing the gate.

"Promise"? She quietly asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes, I promise" Hopper replied without hesitation knowing full well that she would've seen right through the promise that he intends to keep but can't truly guarantee.

"Alright everyone, Back inside. We have a lot of planning to do and a very short amount of time to do it," Hopper shouted turning around and walking up the steps to enter the house with El in tow. Everyone else followed shortly thereafter and settled into the living room to begin brainstorming.

After what felt like an hour (but only being 15 minutes of planning) El was starting to get frustrated with the way things were going. Not one single plan from anyone had been agreed upon and she was getting anxious and more than a little worried about how Mike was doing.

"Joyce can I use the bathroom" El asked rather quietly trying not to draw too much attention to herself.

"Why of course dear let me show you where it is" Joyce replied as she got up off the couch with Will on it to lead her to the Bathroom.

Once there Joyce opened the door and turned the light on for El. As El walked inside she eased the door closed behind her as Joyce left to return to the living room where the rescue planning was still in full effect and not showing any signs of being fully organized.

After another 15 minutes Hopper noticed that someone wasn't in the room, and his stomach felt like it had just dropped off the edge of the earth.

"Joyce, how long ago did you take El to the bathroom," He questioned giving her an uneasy look that told her everything she needed to know. Before anyone else had the chance to react Hopper and Joyce sprinted to the Bathroom and realized the door was slightly ajar and the light was off.

"Well she isn't in there anymore, so whe-," He was cut off by a cold draft biting into the back of his neck. As Hopper and Joyce turned toward the other side of the hallway into the back of the house they realized the back door was wide open.

"Jesus Christ"

"Oh no Hop, we have to go now"

Hopper scratched at his beard when finally, it all came together, as he thought through everyone's individual ideas he was able to combine a couple of them into one plan that should work providing "She" doesn't get herself hurt or killed before they can make it to her.

"Alright everyone LISTEN UP," Shouting at the top of his lungs to get everyone's attention.

"Geez you didn't have to Sc- OW Lucas what the hell", Dustin glared at Lucas as he rubbed his ribs from the elbow Lucas delivered to shut him up.

Hopper glared at the two boys before he went on to say, "I have finalized the plan, we need to put it into action right now if we want any chance of this working,"

Everyone leaned in to hear what Hopper and as he finished up everyone nodded and began moving about the house to pack and make sure they had everything they needed before they left.

Hopper walked out to the front porch and lit up a cigarette knowing this could very well be his last one. He looked around the yard and only one thing kept popping in his mind.

"God damn it I hope this works"


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: So, I felt bad that I couldn't update when I said I was going to so I worked right through on this next chapter in hopes of delivering a double update so the story can continue. I apologize that it is a slow building story but that's what makes it all worth it in the end right? Anyways enjoy and let me know what you think!)**

20 minutes earlier:

El had just finished in the bathroom and decided to wash her face with some of the cold water from the sink. She could hear the shouts from the party in the other room and was losing her patience with how long she has been forced to wait. El goes to turn the knob on the door when she realizes her shoes are wet; She looks around to see that she is in the void. She never remembered being able to access the void without having to try before she thought while she began walking around she saw something in the near distance. It appeared to be a person hung up on a wall by vines. As she got closer she realized exactly who it was as the tears began to slide down her cheeks.

As the figure slowly disappeared with all the vines El couldn't stop herself from screaming out his name.

"MIKE!" She lamented, running towards the figure reaching the spot it had previously occupied by the time it fully disappeared.

El opens her eyes to see that she is still clutching the doorknob harder then she thought and released it and shook the cramp out of her hand. She looked back in the mirror and saw the blood that was slowly dripping down from her nose stopping just above her upper lip. She wipes the blood with her hand and washes her hands once again making up her mind what she was going to do.

El knew that waiting for the others is only further endangering Mike and she was no longer willing to wait. She quietly opened the door and snuck around to the back door and quietly opened it and ran out into the back yard. El found the spot in the yard she was looking for and began her descent into the tunnel network.

* * *

Pain.

Everything hurt.

His arms. His lungs. His Head. And most of all; his heart.

His eyes felt like they were being tied down by weights as he slowly opened them to find that he was tied up against a concrete wall in what looked like a large basement. As he looked around he started to wonder where the demodogs that dragged him away from the Byers house was until his head turned and his eyes widened as they locked on to what he had to bet his entire piggy bank savings was the gate they needed to close. His lower lip began to tremble when he realized where he was and he tried to break free from the vines to no avail.

Mike cried out in pain as he flexed his arms and realized how much they hurt. He looked to his right to see his sweater completely shredded from where the demodogs had bit into him and his whole sleeve was crimson red with the blood soaked into the remainder of the sleeves.

As he continued to look around the basement looking for anything that would be any help to him in his current situation his mind began to drift towards the situation that he last remembered being in. He thought back to unfair he had been to El about the whole situation. Mike was still extremely angry at Hopper but every time he thinks of El his thoughts always come back to one thing.

"I need to apologize to her," He whispered to himself finally realizing that no matter what happened in the last 353 days; She was back now, and nothing could take that away from him. Remembering the situation he was in he just hoped he would have the chance to.

* * *

"Be careful Jonathan, we need to get there quickly but also alive", Nancy yelled annoyed due to his driving causing everyone in the car to be more than a little uncomfortable.

"I'm trying Nancy, but we only have so much time to get this done and we don't even know if it's going to work"

"Its going to work. It has to" Joyce reassured everyone including herself as she sat in the backseat with an unconscious Will.

"How is he holding up mom" Jonathan asked worriedly as he continued to keep his foot to the floorboard knowing that no one will pull him over due to the chief calling in to the sheriff's department.

"He's ice cold, we need to get him to Hoppers place soon" She let out matter-a-factly.

About 10 minutes later they arrive near where Hopper described, and Jonathan pulled off to the side of the road and shut the car off. He opened the back-driver side door and scooped up Will in his arm as Joyce and Nancy both go out on the other side of the car. They made their way through the woods until they finally found the little shack that Hopper and El had called home for the past year.

Joyce unlocked the door and motioned for Jonathan to go in, which complied with followed by Nancy as Joyce followed suit and shut the door.

"So, what exactly is the plan then mom", Jonathan asked not fully aware of what the plan was to get the Mind Flayers influence out of Will.

"Will said that "he" like it cold, so we have to burn it out of him" Joyce responded as she started running around grabbing the space heaters while Nancy went to the thermostat and cranked the heat up.

* * *

Hopper was speeding down the country roads of Hawkins, Indiana knowing full well where these tunnels lead. If he was correct in assuming that El got tired of waiting for them to make up their mind on the plan, then she would be heading straight to the Basement below Hawkins Lab which is exactly where the gate to the upside down was.

"These kids are going to put me in an early grave I swear", He grumbled to no one in particular as he continued speeding off towards the Laboratory hoping that he got there in time to help.

* * *

"Are you shitting me, how the hell did we get stuck staying at Will's house while everyone else is out helping" Dustin complained clearly frustrated because he wanted to help find his friend.

"Look we are the backups, we are to wait here until everyone else is safe and we can help with whatever they need when we get back" Steve shot Dustin a look conveying the seriousness of his statement.

"I'm with Dustin we need to get down there and distract the demodogs so that El and Hopper can get to Mike without being killed" Lucas chimed in.

Steve signed putting his face in his hands wondering how the hell he got stuck babysitting the brats yet again. He was about to reiterate the same thing he had said to Dustin when Dustin, Lucas and Max all got up and packed their bags. Steve looked around as Dustin turned toward him and threw him his signature bat with nails sticking out of it.

"Guys I literally just said that we are staying put" Steve announced starting to lose his patience with the kids as they all chimed in.

"Look you can't keep us all here by yourself and besides they said that you were to watch after us which means wherever we go you have to go to" Dustin explained as if it were common sense.

"Fine we can go but on one condition. You will listen to everything I say, even if it's something you don't want to do." Steve stated making sure that he had gotten confirmation of understanding out of each of the young teens before picking up his own bag and gripping his bat in his right hand.

"Very well then, let's get this over with," He signed knowing this was a terrible idea.

The four of them walked outside to where the hole leading to the tunnel network was and dropped a rope down in so that they could slowly descend without risking hurting themselves.

* * *

Eleven had been walking through these tunnels for longer then she cared to admit, and she was quite done with them at this point. As she hit one of the open areas in the tunnel network she realized that she was almost there, she could feel "his" presence nearby. A growing dread has worked its way into her stomach as she isn't sure how he will react when he sees her, she suddenly isn't as confident about this as she originally was and wished she knew how to make it all better for Mike.

She was truly sorry that she never contacted him and let him know that she was ok, but she was only following Hoppers rules because he said if she didn't it might hurt Mike and his family. She hopes that he will forgive her and—

"AHHHH"

She heard a loud scream come from the next area over from the tunnel she was currently in. she knew exactly who had made that sound, and it had brought tears cascading down her face knowing that he was in pain like this.

Eleven ran as fast as she could towards the noise not worrying about anything except making sure that he was safe; That her Mike was safe. She exited the last tunnel and entered what looked like the old basement under Hawkins Lab. She looked around searching for the source of the scream as she couldn't help but let one out herself when she saw what was across the room.

With Tears streaming down her face, her whole-body trembling as she ran towards him. He looked up noticing the footsteps clattering off the cold ground of the basement.

"El"? He questioned, barely coming out as a whisper as his head slumped back down as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Mike….Mike…MIKE" El screamed as she ran toward Mike hoping that it was not too late.


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N: Hey everyone, I apologize for this update taking a couple days. I have finals coming up for college and unfortunately being an engineering major means having pain in the ass finals to study for/ complete final projects for. Other than that, however I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter and I will have the next one up probably by Sunday night! Thank you!)**

"Guys we have to keep heading this way" Dustin yelled behind him as Steve walked up and yanked the map out of his hands.

"Hey what the he- "

"Listen Shithead, if any of you get killed it's going to be on my ass. So, from here on out I'm leading the way you got it"? Steve aggressively jabbed Dustin in the chest with a finger making sure that he got his point across. Waiting until he got a nod from all included in the group before he started marching forward further into the tunnel network.

"What exactly are we looking for"? Steve asked clearly not understanding the reason for them coming down here other than to help El make it to Mike.

"We are going to set fire to the tunnel network at the hub, so that it will distract the demodogs away from the gate and mike." Dustin stated hoping that this plan of theirs would truly work.

"What if Mike is already- "

"Do not even think like that" Dustin cut Lucas off mid-sentence. Dustin refused to believe that Mike was gone.

"Had they wanted Mike dead he would have been killed when we were all up at Wills house. But they didn't which means they need him for something." Dustin continued hoping the logic he was expressing to Lucas was the truth and that they weren't going to find out that one of their best friends has been killed.

"You're right Dustin, they would've killed him when they were up there if they really wanted. But that leads to the question what are they after by capturing Mike."? Lucas contemplated more to himself than to anyone until the red head that could always raise his heart rate piped up.

"Its obvious isn't it? They are clearly trying to lead Eleven down there, so they can trap her using Mike as the bait knowing she would chase after him." Max stated clearly as if it was common sense.

"Wait what? These things are smart enough to try and trap Eleven?" Steve inquired clearly confused with how they have the intelligence to do that.

"Steve, you gotta keep up man, of course they have the ability to lure El into a trap. Remember because of the MindFlayer they are a collective hive mind which means they all listen to MindFlayer when he orders them to do something." Dustin explained to Steve hoping that he would finally catch on to the D&D terms of what they were up against.

"Oh ok, then we really need to get our job done than, so we can help out" Steve said as he started to move even quicker following the map towards their destination.

Dustin and Lucas kept glancing back and forth practically reading each other's mind without saying a word. Their thoughts were on Mike and how things would affect them if he really is gone, and even worse how would El hold up if she finds out he is gone. They knew that if she found out he was gone then all hell would break loose, that girl was hopelessly in love with him and she probably didn't even know what all that meant right now.

"AHHHHHH"

The blood curdling scream that was coming from Will was almost too much for Jonathan to handle as he turned around and buried his face into Nancy's sweater hoping for this to end as quickly as possible.

Joyce kept turning up the space heaters to their highest setting and continued to hold Will down as he began to convulse.

"Jonathan I need your help keeping him still while this is happening" She yelled over the sound of Wills screaming.

Jonathan moved away from Nancy to join his mother on the other side of the bed that was currently housing Wills body that was in a life or death struggle with the Mind Flayer. He watched as Will's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he continued to convulse as he held him down with all of his strength making sure that he could move or go anywhere. 

Meanwhile Nancy filled in for Joyce holding Will down while Joyce got another idea in her head as she ran over to the fire place and grabbed the red-hot poker that was sitting in the fireplace.

As Nancy and Jonathan continued holding Will's seizing body in place on the bed Joyce jabbed the poker into his mid-section causing Will to scream out in pain with the same voice he used when being possessed by the Mind Flayer.

As the poker began through Will's clothing and affecting his skin Black smoke appeared to start funneling out of his eyes, ears, and mouth as he continued to scream. Once it had all gathered above Will's body it shot straight for the door as it Flew up into the night sky toward the stars; Nancy Chased it out the door and saw that it left up into the sky.

Jonathan and Joyce continued to stare at Will as he stopped screaming when the shadow left him and became immobile. Joyce started shaking him hoping that he would eventually wake up.

"WILL" She yelled at first not knowing if he would wake up. As the seconds dragged on she continued to shake Will's body and yelling his name hoping that he would wake up as Jonathan got off the bed and started pacing the cabin with Nancy in tail trying to settle him down.

Finally, Will's eyes opened as he looked right into his mother's eyes; he was very weak, but he felt like himself again.

"Will!" Joyce gasped, Jonathan tell Hop that it is out of him as she cradled Will in her arms whispering that everything was ok to him as he laid there too drained to move.

Jonathan ran over to the supercom and radioed in to Hopper; "It's out of him, go ahead with whatever you are going to do".

After a couple seconds of static, he heard back in a pretty clear message, "This may not end as well as we all hoped. Stand by to pick us up from the lab." A confused yet calm Hopper responded.

Panic.

Panic was the best way to describe how he was feeling as he was racing down the road towards the one place he wished he would never have to step foot in again. But he knew that that was where his girl was heading, where she was going to save her boyfriend?

Hopper let that scenario run through his mind before shaking it off realizing that he needed to deal with that when that issue arises but right now he needed to get everyone out alive.

As he burst through the front gate with his jeep he realized that time was running out, that it wouldn't have taken Eleven this long to get here so he scrambled out of the vehicle as quickly as possible grabbing his assault rifle as he started his descent into the lab heading for the cellar knowing full well where all of this was happening.

Once he finally reached the bottom level of the lab he heard a sound that he never in a million years wanted to hear ever again; the sound of El crying out in distress, sadness, hopelessness.

As the lab door slide up he ran through running right into the main area of the basement of the lab to see what one of his worst fears was.

Eleven Clutching Mike in her arms on the floor.

As he ran towards them he prayed to god (if there was one) that this boy made it out of here alive for his and El's sake. If not, he knew El might be permanently beyond help so he ran as fast as he could towards them yelling.

"El…. Mike."!

"MIKE"

El closed the distance from where she was standing to where he was held up by the vines. She inspected them to figure out how to cut them to free Mike. As she was inspecting she heard growling coming from right behind her as she whirled around and saw a giant group of demodogs facing her closing in on their next prey.

She got ready to use her powers until she heard them all shriek in unison. She questioned what could've caused this sudden outburst until she watched them all start sprinting full speed down a tunnel she realized was where she had come from.

"Guys" She whispered as she remembered that she left all of them back at the house and that some of them were sure to follow her down the hole into the tunnels. This situation further encouraged her to close the gate before anyone else got hurt.

As She turned around towards Mike she realized that she can't help him until the gate has been closed and began focusing her energy on closing the giant gate in front of her. She realized that this gate was large and reached back into her storage of power remembering times that she had shared with her sister Kali, but most of all times she had shared with Mike. The times that she was with him were her strongest memories and she used them to fight the Mind Flayer to close the gate as the Mind Flayer couldn't do much from the other side of the vale of shadows.

As she was closing the gate she felt the movement of creatures coming back to her. She was hoping that she had a little more time, but she continued to focus on closing the rift between the upside down and the regular world until one demodog seemed to have gotten through.

She caught it out of the corner of her eye as she continued to close the rift she thought "Wow and this is how it is supposed to end for us" as she thought back to the unconscious Mike that was nearby. Once the demodog was within jumping reach of El it leapt toward her only to collide with the solid human flesh of a person who did not have powers as they tumbled behind her with the demodog taking the dominate position on top of the individual.

All El heard was,

"Finish It El!" As he slowly succumbed to the loss of energy it took to throw himself in front of the demodog as to not let it disturb her closing the gate. In that time, he heard several gun shots as the creature that was currently on top of him screeched out in pain as it felt shot gun hells continue to pierce its thick skin as it was finally killed. He looked over just with just enough time to see a tall man dressed in beige approach as he succumbed to the darkness and fell unconscious again without another word.

El had taken all her strength to close the gate with the Mind Flayer looming right on the other side and also fell into a state in which she was unable to move by herself until Hopper came over and grabbed her up and through her over his shoulder opposite of Mike on the other. She looked over at Mike realizing he wasn't moving she started to shake with tears.

"Mike" She cried unable to move due to the weakness of closing the gate. She attempted to move her arm up to clutch his face but was unable to do so.

"Don't worry kid, I'm getting both of you to a doctor, so you can get checked out" Hopper explained worried that this idea may end up being more detrimental than helpful he continued his path back up towards his jeep waiting outside.

Realizing once he got to his vehicle that neither El nor Mike were in life threatening conditions he decided to bring them back to the Byer's house as he set Mike and El down in the back seat of his Jeep.

"This is Hopper, I have Mike and El and we are heading back to the Byers house to regroup" Hopper announced over the radio as he turned the key in the ignition and squealed his tires as he pealed out of the lab and started off towards the Byer's house.

Mike used all of his strength to open his eyes to look up in the Police chief's car to gaze into the soft Doe brown orbs that were El's as she watched him with a heartbroken expression on her face.

He managed to get out between labored breaths;

"El... I…. am…. So…. sorry" He coughed until blackness took him once again.

El continued to stare at him broken hearted knowing that all she wanted to do was to make everything better but that would have to wait for everything to stop moving so fast. She continued to watch him as Hopper drove down the road continuing to the Byer's house.


	5. Author's Note

**Authors Note**

 **Hey guys for those of you still reading this story I want to extend a huge apology for extended absence and neglect for the story. I have been extremely busy with Family business and with school. However I have managed to get myself into a comfortable schedule where I will be able to start updating this story again regularly. I still have most of the main story arc written down so there will be no changes to how the story will move forward from my end. Again I just want to thank everyone for their patience and to expect the next chapter within the next 24 hours!**

 **Sincerely,**

 **dj-santa**


	6. Chapter 5

**(A/N: I know I know, the moment you have all been waiting for. I have finally updated the story after an extended Hiatus. I apologize again for the extended break (Real life can be a pain in the ass sometimes) but I am back and better than ever. This chapter I felt was relatively short but they will probably be longer in the future. I would just like to shout out a thanks to everyone who continues to support and read this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter!)**

Eleven could barely keep her eyes open. She was using all of her strength to not close them, thinking if she did then the boy currently laying his head on her lap would surely not make it. She glanced down at his face admiring his long dark tousled hair and the freckles on his nose that she one day promised herself she would count so she knew how many were there. As she sat there staring her eyes glistened with unshed tears at the situation that they were in a mere 10 minutes ago.

As she continued holding back tears remembering about being in the basement her mind wandered to how the demodog should have finished her and yet Mike was able to knock it off course. _How did mike break out of the vines?_ She thought to herself as she subconsciously brought one of her hand up to his hair and started massaging his head.

Hopper noticing this happening from the driver seat looks back at El from the rear view mirror.

"Hey kid, we will be at the Byer's house soon; don't worry we will get Mike fixed up" hoping that what he was saying was indeed true. Hopper saw the amount of blood that was on the sleeves of Mike's sweater and wouldn't be surprised if he had to bring him to the ER tonight.

El looked up to meet Hopper's eyes in the mirror and nodded,

"I shouldn't have rushed out by myself… I am sorry" El said slowly in between breaths continuing to keep her from letting her emotions bubble over.

Hopper realizing this might be the best chance he gets to mend a few fences decides he can have a "Rules" conversation at a later juncture stares in the mirror as El's eyes returns to Mikes face. _Who would've thought that those two could have grown so close in only a week's time?_ Hopper was never big into love because quite frankly he thought it was a bullshit concept, _however, if there was such a thing as love then these kids were surely head over heels in it._

The thought of having to have certain conversations with the two in the backseat sent a chill down his spine as he tried his hardest to think about something else. _Who knows, maybe Mike won't be like me when I was that age._ Hopper thought trying to make himself feel better about the situation in the back seat.

He turned on to the road leading to the Byer's house so he decided to give El a heads up.

"El, we are about five minutes out do you want to try and wake up Mike so we can see if he can walk on his own"?

El looked back up to Hopper and nodded before she slowly leaned down to Mike's ear and softly whispered.

"Mike"

"Jonathan you do know that you don't have to drive crazy anymore. The Mind Flayer is out of Will" Nancy stated trying to get him to settle down from the passenger seat.

"Yeah I know, but I also know Will's friends and they will want to see him as soon as humanly possible" Jonathan replied bringing up a very good point.

Joyce perked up from the backseat as she held an unconscious Will in her arms making sure he stayed wrapped up in the blanket she had around him.

"I think that everyone has been through Hell tonight and everyone needs to get some rest before we start bugging Will, and Mike for that matter" The protective mother coming out in her in full force was not to trifled with.

Nancy looked forward with a worried expression on her face. _I really hope Mike is ok._

Jonathan looked over at her noticing her worried look and grabbed her hand in his. She glanced over at him unshed tears in her eyes as he whispered.

"It's going to be ok, Hopper said that he had them both and he would meet us back at the house" He said reassuring her that everyone is now safe. As they pulled into the driveway of the Byer's house they noticed a bunch of kids running back from where the hole was in the back yard and with them Steve casually walking with his bat firmly planted in his shoulder.

As the car pulled up and they began to get out of the car Steve looked over at the three. _Shit._

He ran over asking if they needed any help with anything as Dustin, Lucas, and Max all ran out of the house with hopeful faces. Jonathan went to the back seat and scooped up Will as Joyce hopped out of the car and shut the door. They began walking up to the front porch as Nancy gave Steve a knowing glare.

"So why did we see kids running back to the house from that hole in the backyard" She asked wondering if he would actually tell the truth or not.

Steve looked into her eyes, the eyes that he fell in love with but no longer loved him. He stumbled on his words for a second until he finally got out.

"Look Nance, I tried to follow the plan but-"

"But what Steve" Nancy replied with fire and fury in her eyes.

"You try and keep three kids from running off at the same time. It's not as easy as it looks." Steve said hoping that his logic behind this was sound enough to quell the rage building up in Nancy.

"Yeah Nance it was kind of our fault, we told him what our plan was and how it would help El rescue Mike and he decided that he would be our protector for the mission" Dustin chimed in giving a toothy grin hoping it would work on Nancy.

"Yeah don't be mad at Steve he kept us safe while we successfully did the mission" Lucas added in hoping the more that stuck up for him the easier it would be for him.

Max looked around and sighed before stating, "Yeah if it weren't for Steve the dogs would've surely gotten us, but he made sure we made it back up before they all ran away".

Nancy took this all in and looked back at Steve who was currently observing his hi top Nikes before she leaned in and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for keeping them safe and for helping rescue my brother" She gave him a small smile as she followed Jonathan and Joyce into Byer's home.

The kids all snapping back to reality all screamed at once, "Can we see Will?" as they ran inside the house following Jonathan who was on his was to Will's room to tuck him into bed so he could rest.

"Hold on guys" Joyce spoke up causing them all to stop and turn around and look at her.

"Let's give Will a little time to rest before we bombard him questions and everything ok?" She stated sweetly but with finality to it.

The kids looked at her, then at each other, then back at her as they all sighed, "Ok Ms. Byers"

With that they all walked into the living room were Nancy and Steve was talking.

"So do you think that Mike is all good?" Steve asks curious about how the boy was doing seeing as how he has gotten very protective of these kids recently. _God Steve you are becoming a softy aren't you…_

"I'm not sure to be honest, Hopper just signaled saying that he had El and Mike and that they were on their way here so that they could rest and he could figure everything out from there." Nancy said, worry clearly saturating her voice.

"We got to stay positive guys, El is amazing, I'm sure she was able to beat up the Mind Flayer and save Mike without an issue" Dustin said as the three kids, Joyce, and Jonathan walked into the living room all finding seats to rest.

"Well if there was anyone who could've done it; that person is definitely El. I mean she protects him from everything." Lucas chimed in leaning his head back letting out a quiet laugh.

Nancy observed this and decided to question the kids more about El, "So Lucas how close would you say Mike and El are?"

She had to know, the last time she spoke to Mike about El he said they were friends and when she brought up the girlfriend title he acted like he was grossed out about it. Deep down she knew it was a front but questioning his friends was a great way of confirming it as Lucas and Dustin answered her out of her thoughts.

"Oh my god those two were made for each other, They are like Peanut Butter and Jelly" Dustin laughed at the analogy he used.

"Yeah seriously, he is too embarrassed to say or do anything but we know they both love each other." Lucas stated remembering the way she threw him off of Mike when they were fighting in the woods.

Nancy thought about this and got a devilish idea in her mind as she began to smirk more to herself than to anyone. Dustin noticed this and pressed her about it, "Hey Nance what's with that evil smile huh?"

She turned to the three kids, "The Snow Ball is coming up soon, when all of this settles down you got to make him ask her to go with him."

She watched the kids' faces as her words slowly seeped in to their minds causing massive grins to appear on their faces.

"We will tell Will when he wakes up too, this is going to be fun to watch" Dustin and Lucas both laugh knowing this was going to be torture for poor Mike. Max on the other hand looked down at her shoes lost in thought wondering if she too would get asked by anyone to go to this "Stupid School Dance".

Just as they were going to formulate the plan to spring on Mike to force him to ask El they all heard static over the Intercom.

"Hello… are any… of ….there?" A gruff voice called over the radio.

Joyce reached out and answered back, "Hop we are all back at the house now, is everything ok?"

There was about a minute of silence before they heard the static again.

"Kid's…losing….alot….blood….Go..ing….to Hospital" Hopper managed to get through until the Intercom went silent again.

Everyone looked around at each other in shock not knowing what to say in that exact moment.


	7. Chapter 6

"Hop we are all back at the house. Is everything ok?" is what he heard as he continued to listen to the girl he has come to know as his daughter scream out in the back seat.

"MIKE!" She screamed out in between sobs that were coursing through her as she continued to hold his body as he looked up at her with his special deep brown eyes that made her melt every time she saw them.

Mike looked around as much as he could and whispered to no one in particular, "I'm…so…..cold" as his body continued to shake in El's arms.

Hopper looked back and stared at Mike and noticed that there was scarlet blood all over his sweater. _Fresh blood…. SHIT the kids going into shock he needs a hospital._

Hopper quickly yanks the wheel hard left yelling for Eleven to hold on to herself and Mike which she made sure she did using her powers. As Hopper wheeled around he put his foot to the floorboard and started scorching toward the Hospital on the outskirts of Hawkins.

Hopper leaned over and grabbed his intercom,

"Kid is losing a lot of blood, we are going to the hospital" He sent through the radio hoping the message had gotten through. He looked back to see the continuing heartbreaking scene unfold as El held onto Mike sobs raking through her entire body, tears flowing freely down her face.

"El we will be arriving at the hospital soon and you are going to have to allow the people that come to take him to do their jobs ok?" Hopper decided to clarify all of this before she telekinetically threw someone through the wall.

She looked up from Mike to stare at him through the rear-view mirror. The look broke his heart with the amount of pain that was buried in her eyes. She coughed through her crying as she asked in her Eleven way.

"Hospital?"

"It's a place filled with people that will Mike get better" He hoped that he had explained well enough for her to get the message. Realization of what he said had hit her as her eyes went wide,

"Make..Mike..better" She stated as she went back to holding him as close to her body as she could.

Hopper blew out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in as he prayed in his mind that this boy made it through the night.

* * *

Everyone was still stunned at the news that hit from the radio. Everyone looked around at each other not exactly sure what to say as a loud gasp broke the silence as Nancy began to cry as she sat down on the couch in the Byer's living room. Jonathan embraced her in a comforting hug as she whimpered, "I can't believe…that….Mike is….hurt"

Joyce sat there thinking about the situation when her eyes widened in fear, she walked over to where Nancy and Jonathan were and sat down in front of Nancy giving her a motherly embrace.

Nancy finally settled down enough to look up at Joyce as the woman was about to make this night even more difficult.

"Nance, you have to call your parents. If Mike is going to the hospital they will need to know so they can make any decisions that may need to be made in there" Joyce explained biting her lip praying beyond anything that it will not come to anything like that.

Nancy's eyes shot open wide realizing what she was saying, she jumped up running to the Byer's phone a quickly dialing the Wheeler's number.

She waits for a few rings until she hears her mother answer the phone.

"Hello this is the Wheelers"

"Mom it's me, you need to head to the hospital in Hawkins. Mike got hurt and is on his way there with Chief Hopper" Nancy barely got out as the tears that were welling up in her eyes threatened to fall out.

"Oh my god, hunny we are heading out right now. Are you ok?" Karen asked gently before yelling "TED get shoes on Holly we need to head to the Hospital NOW".

Nancy sniffled rubbing her nose on the sleeve of her sweater as she thought about her mother's question. _Am I alright? My baby brother is fighting for his life and I can't do anything to help him._

"Yeah mom I am ok, I am over at the Byer's house right now. I will try and get a ride to the hospital."

"No no that's ok Hun, stay put and we will let you know what happens with Michael" Her mom reassures her before stating "Ok Nance we are heading out the door now, I'll call you later with news."

With that said her mother hung up the telephone as Nancy put the receiver back onto the phone set she mentally prayed that her brother was ok as she made her way back to the living room where Dustin, Lucas and Max were all sitting there looking extremely worried for their friend.

Dustin got up and started pacing around, while Lucas and Max stared at him wishing he would stop.

"Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit" Dustin mumbled to no one in particular as he continued to pace trying to think of some way he could possibly help Mike.

"Dustin relax, this is the one time that you really can't help Mike no matter what you think of. We have to trust that the hospital will be able to help Mike before it's too late" Lucas said depression clear on his face as he reached over and held Max's hand as she was having a tough time dealing with this.

Max dealt with a lot of things better than kids her age, but loss was not one of them, even if it was the loss of the boy who was not her biggest fan. She had finally figured out the reason behind his behavior and was mending their relationship when life decided to throw a curveball and have him snatched away in the blink of an eye.

She quietly leaned her head on Lucas's shoulder as tears slowly formed in her eyes, as they would get to heavy they would begin to slide down her pale face until they would hit the end of her cheek thus falling towards the floor.

Lucas's noticed this and wrapped his arm around her shoulder,

"If there is anyone who could get through this Max it is Mike" he stated, hoping that what he had just said was the truth, he went to swallow to clear his throat and found that is throat was extremely dry.

"Ms. Byer's any chance I could get a glass of water?"

Joyce came back from Will's room and replied, "Of course hunny, the glasses are on the shelf next to the stove help yourself"

Dustin looked at Lucas as he stopped pacing and decided that he needed a drink too.

"Let's go get drinks guys doesn't make sense to dehydrate ourselves."

The three kids walk out to the kitchen, grab glasses and fill up their cups from the sink in silence. Each one of them stewing in their last memories of Mike praying it wouldn't be the literal last memories they have of him. As they all sighed simultaneously a knock came from the far wall coming from the living room. Steve had appeared at the opening with his keys to his BMW in his hand.

"Hey kids, I just talked with Joyce and told her I can drive us to the hospital tonight to be there for Mike while Nancy, Jonathan, and Joyce all stay here with Will."

They kids eyes registered the thought as all of their eyes shot toward Steve with a pleading look.

"Yes please, can we go right now?" Dustin shot out as fast as possible.

"Yeah we really want to see Mike" Lucas added in right after Dustin.

Max just continued to look at Steve hoping he wasn't messing with them at a time like this.

Steve held his hands up calming them down and getting them to stop talking.

"Look settle down, I will take you guys under one condition and if that condition isn't met while we are there I am taking all of you home immediately. Do I make myself clear Shitheads?" Steve explained deciding he needs to be firm with them in a time like this or they will walk all over you.

They looked at each other before Dustin chimed in with a sigh,

"Ok Steve, what is the condition?"

"You have to do everything I asks or say while we are there. You are not going to be running around like a couple of wild animals got it?" He pointed at each one of them individually waiting for them to nod their head in agreement.

They all nodded one after another and Steve smiled a sympathetic smile toward them as he calmly said, "Alright guys lets head out"

* * *

Karen arrived at the Hospital and hopped out at the front door with Holly as Ted went and found a spot to park before heading in himself. When she got that call from Nancy she was trying so hard not to break down and cry, but she couldn't in front of Holly. _Hopefully it's just a broken bone or something minor that needs to be fixed._ As the though occurred in her mind she was jogged from the elderly woman at the reception desk.

"Hello Ma'am, can I help you with something?" The older lady was very polite and had a genuine look on her face. Karen looked at her with Holly hanging on her hip,

"Hello, my name is Karen Wheeler, we received a call that our son Michael being brought here to get treated and we would like to know which room he is in." She managed to get out past the growing lump in the back of her throat. As the woman checked the computer to pull up the records for Mike, Ted walked in shaking off his coat.

"It started raining, how is Michael doing?" Ted asked with no emotion in his voice.

"They are pulling up his records now to see wher- "Karen was cut off by the woman at the desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, it looks like your soon was brought in by one Chief Hopper, looks like he went from the emergency room and is now currently in ICU." Karen gasped louder than she should've as she brought her hand up to cover her trembling mouth.

As tears stung her eyes she asked which way to the ICU having never been there before with Mike or Nancy.

"You will want to take the elevator up to the second floor, then you will want to follow the hallway until you come across hallway D. That is the ICU hallway that your son is in, it has a waiting area and you will be able to get in contact with his Doctor and Nurse when you check in.

"Thank you" Karen replied slightly above a whisper not wanting to test the strength of her voice right now as she began to powerwalk toward the elevator with Ted hot on her heels.

* * *

Hopper sat there in the ICU waiting room waiting for updates on Mike. El sat there next to him extremely impatient and angry. She did not want to let Mike go when the nurses and EMT's came out with a stretcher to bring Mike in to something they called an Operating Room.

She felt as if she cried all the tears that were in her body as she waited to hear news about Mike, _her Mike._ She looked around as people continued shuffling around the hallway getting to their respective areas as fast as they can without interrupting the others in the process. She found made her mind race even more bringing her thoughts back to him. _His freckles, his curly hair, his smile that she begged she would see again._

Hopper noticed that El was anxious and would not continue sitting still for much longer; When he recognized a nurse that looked familiar he got up motioning for El to stay put as he walked up to her. He gave her a small smile as he asked if there was any news on Mike's situation.

The nurse frowned before she said, "He is currently in a room, but unfortunately the doctor cannot disclose any information until his parents arrive, they just checked in downstairs, so it shouldn't be too much longer." She sighed feeling bad that she couldn't give anymore information at the moment as she headed off down the hall to check on another patient.

Hopper looked back at El as she her irritation was starting to mix with her fear, _Shit I know that look, I need to calm her down._ Hopper walked back over to El before leaning in and whispering,

"His parents are almost here than we can here what the Doctor has to say about him and maybe you could even see him" Hopper knew he shouldn't have added that last part but right now he needed to give her something to look forward too or else she might lose control.

El's brow furrowed as her eyes opened wide realizing what Hopper just said. _I could see him soon?_ A slight smile tugs at the corner of her lips. She gave Hopper a small hug before going back to staring at her feet until she heard a woman and her husband come into the room yelling for a nurse.

Hopper looked at El and motioned for her to get up realizing he needed to make up an excuse for how the Wheeler boy got so roughed up when he was supposed to be hanging out with his friends. As they approached the front desk where Karen was they could hear her talking with the Nurse.

"When can we see our son? What exactly happened to him?" She said as she held back tears that were welling up in her eyes as Ted rubbed her back waiting for the answer with Holly now on his hip.

The nurse looked down at the computer, "The doctor will be with you guys in 5 minutes, I know this is a stressful time but please wait over in the waiting area for a little bit and he will be out to explain everything" She said with a solemn look on her face.

Karen nodded as she turned to head to the waiting area to be face to face with the Hawkins's Police Chief. She stared at him for a moment sadness written all over his face as she walked up to him and hugged him. Hopper hugged back as she cried in his arms.

"Chief Hopper, thank you so much for getting my son here. Nancy called from the Byer's house telling us that something had happened and for us to come straight here." Karen released Hopper from the hug, so he could shake hands with Ted as Karen wiped some tears from her eyes.

"Yes, thank you Hopper truly, it means a lot knowing we have you around" Ted stated calmly.

"Just doing my job Ted, no need for thanks guys"

As Karen finished wiping her eyes she looked down at the little girl that was beside Hopper, her hair was currently slicked back with a lot more product than necessary and she was dressed in a very grungy type outfit. Karen noticed that she was shaking from what looked like a mixture of anxiety and fear.

"Why hello there, who might you be?" Karen asked in a very soft motherly voice hoping not to further scare the poor girl. El looked up at Karen with tear stricken eyes as she responded with a whisper, "I'm E-"

"This is my daughter Jane, I just recently adopted her" Hopper cut in trying to save the situation from the Wheelers learning too much. He knew he would have to explain this all afterwards, but they couldn't know that she was Eleven, _at least not yet._

Karen looked up at Hopper then back down to El as she asked another question.

"Are you friends with Mike?" El couldn't help but feel a calming sensation as she listened to Karen's question as she used a soothing voice she wasn't used to. She thought about it for a minute. _I am Mike's friend… but when he invited me to the snowball he said you invite someone who is more than friends…_

"More…Than…Friends" El squeaked out as she looked up at Karen. Karen digested the information she had just received and couldn't help but let out a huge smile as she leaned down and embraced El in a hug allowing both of them to use each other to get through this situation. As they broke apart a mans voice could be heard echoing down the hall.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, please come this way"

Karen looked back at Hopper and nodded her head for him and El to follow as they headed down the hallway. Once they reached the doctor he put his hand out to shake everyone's hand.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Duffer, I am your son's doctor while he is in ICU, shall we head to his room." Dr. Duffer stated as he turned and began walking down the hall a little way until he reached Rm 211.

Dr. Duffer ushered everyone into the room where their eyes all widened at the sight they saw. The room was very clean and over on the bed was a body. Cords are hooked up to him from all sort of machines that El had never really understood, she only knew that cords meant testing and bad men. But the cord that scared her the most was the one that led to a mask that was placed over his face. She also noticed that both of his arms were now wrapped up so that the bleeding had surely stopped. She felt like she couldn't breathe staring at him in that bed made her feel like he was gone, he didn't move or acknowledge that they came into the room.

"What is wrong with Mike" She blurted out not really worried about cutting anyone off as they were talking.

Dr. Duffer had a melancholic look on his face as goes into the diagnosis,

"We were able to get his arms cleaned and bandaged to stop the bleeding. He suffered from some very serious bite marks from an animal that we can't really identify at the moment. He has suffered from two broken ribs from apparent dragging and the constant hitting off the ground as given by his clothing that he was in when brought in."

Karen gasped at the news seeing how her poor son was injured as Ted looked down and then back up at the doctor. Through his spectacles he knew there was something that the doctor was holding back as he asked the dreaded question he knew no one was ready to hear the answer to.

"What is it you aren't telling us yet Dr. Duffer" He asked his voice slightly shaking worried about what this news could be.

Dr. Duffer looked at everyone in the room individually with a grim look on his face.

"There is no good way to put this, but your son Michael is currently in a coma."

 **(A/N: I know I am evil and left you guys off on a cliffhanger sorry not sorry! For those that will surely ask NO, I am not killing Mike because how could this be a Mileven story if he died? Anyways this chapter was a bit longer than usual and I'm hoping to keep that trend up as I continue to write chapters. Thank you again for all of those who read this and special shout out to phieillydinyia, SSJGamerYT, and the everyone else who reviews my story! It means a lot knowing you guys are enjoying the story!)**


	8. Chapter 7

"There is no good way to put this, but your son Michael is currently in a coma."

Nothing in the world could've prepared Karen for the words that she heard Dr. Duffer utter as sympathetic as it had sounded. She felt a huge gust of air leave her as her hands shot up to cover her mouth as she gasped loudly trying to fight a losing battle against the tears that were starting to fall down unimpeded.

El looked over at Mike's mom as his dad slowly wrapped his arm around her as he looked down with a very solemn look on his face as if a million thoughts were running through his mind all at once. Suddenly a thought popped into her mind, she turned toward Hopper with a sad look as she asked a question that could potentially break her heart, "What is coma?"

Hopper looked at her in shock; not because she had asked the question but because now he had to figure out how to tell this little girl that the most important person in her life may never wake up again. He started to wish that they hadn't been in a hospital full of people when he had to explain this because he had no idea how she was going to react to what he was going to tell her.

Karen slowly looked over to a helpless Hopper and frowned, "Would you like me to explain it to her Hopper?" She asked knowing by the look on his face that he was in no condition to explain to this little girl that her friend might be gone.

Hopper and El looked over toward Karen as Hopper nodded Karen looked directly at El then over at the two chairs that were positioned next to Mike's hospital bed.

"Jane how about we go sit down in those chairs and I'll explain to you everything you want to know while Dr. Duffer explains anything else he needs to to Ted, Karen looked over at Ted giving him a knowing look in which Ted responded with a nod as he and Dr. Duffer went out into the Hall to discuss certain matters.

El looked at Mrs. Wheeler and nodded following her over to the chairs and making sure she got the one that was closest to Mike as she lost herself in thought staring at him lying on the bed. _Mike…I need you to be ok. I miss you._ El was jogged from her thoughts as Karen asked her a question.

"Jane you wanted to know what a coma was right?"

El looked toward her and nodded her head slowly hoping it wasn't as bad as Mrs. Wheeler made it out to be earlier. She watched as Mrs. Wheeler took a deep breath before starting.

"Sweetie when someone falls into a coma, it basically means that their brain is not functioning like it is supposed to. It is trying to save its energy so that it can eventually get the body to wake up again which means that right now Mike cannot hear us, or even know that we are here right now."

El felt a huge lump forming in the back of her throat when she finally realized what a coma was. _Her Mike was sleeping… and had no clue that she was here waiting for him._ The thought of him thinking he was alone in his mind made her eyes water as she looked back at Karen.

"When will Mike wake up from the coma?" El asked innocently not knowing the full details of being in a coma until Karen told her the news that she was not ready for.

"Jane we don't know right now, but there's a possibility that Mike will never wake up from this." Karen explained as her eyes began filling up with tears again as she looked over at the girl who was apparently "More than friends" with her son in the hospital bed. _It certainly explains why she is here, and why she is taking this as hard as the rest of us if not worse._

At this moment everything made sense to El as her emotions started to get the best of her she began to shake in pure sadness, fear, and anger. Sensing this Hopper ran over to shut the door right as he got to it Ted walked back in the door with some news unaware of the meltdown that was currently in the beginning stages. Hopper looked over at Karen pleading for her to find a way to settle her down knowing that if she didn't this whole area of the hospital could become a battleground.

El continued to shake tears free flowing down her cheeks as her trademark stare came out as she stared right at Hopper, "I…finally get to see Mike… and he is taken away." She got out in between gasps of air as she tried to keep herself from breaking down when a pair of arms slowly wrapped around her body pulling her in close for a hug.

El's gaze moved from Hopper to the woman next to her that pulled her into the hug as she heard the older woman whisper into her ear, "I'm sorry Jane, but we have to keep our hopes up for Mike."

Karen had released the floodgates as El finally broke down throwing herself into Karen wrapping her arms around her embracing her in the hug. Tears streaming down her face as she cried into her shoulder wishing this day had never happened.

"Mike…doesn't deserve…this" She could barely get out between sobs as Karen kept her locked tight in the hug feeling herself slowly start to shed some much needed tears.

"I know sweetie, it's going to be tough."

Ted stood across the room observing the scene while Hopper walked up beside him.

"So what all did the doctor say they needed to do for him?" Hopper asked curious if there was anything that medicine could do to make Mike get better sooner.

Ted looked over at his and sighed as he moved Holly from one hip to the other he reached up to fix his glasses as he spoke.

"Well, Dr. Duffer wants to continue analyzing his brain activity to see if there are any changes in it overnight. I'm not sure what he thinks they will find but I hope it is something helpful to Michael."

Ted looked back over at the scene with his wife and this little girl and realized that it was getting late and one of them needed to get back to the house so they could put Holly to bed; He figured he'd better do it seeing as Karen isn't going to want to leave Michael right now. He walks over to Karen and El and whispers in Karen's ear,

"I'm going to take Holly home so I can get her into bed, call the house if you need anything at all ok?" He looked her in the eyes making sure she understood everything he was saying.

He waited until he got a simple head nod for him to turn around and head for the door. Before he turned the knob to let himself and Holly out he glanced back at the little girl in his wife's arms a spoke softly, "It was nice to meet you Jane" As he bows his head a bit, Ted glances over at Hopper and did the same gesture before leaving out the door.

Hopper realized that how late it was getting and decided that it was time to see if he could convince El to go home and get some rest for the night. As he looked back over at Mrs. Wheeler and El continuing to embrace each other a sad smile came to his face as his stare moved from them to the boy lying in the hospital bed, _Boy you would be happy as hell to see the sight that you have in your hospital room, I hope you wake up soon for everyone's sake._

He decided finally to test his luck as his legs carried him slowly over to the other side of Mike's bed where the girls were sitting. Hopper knelt down in front of a distraught Eleven and used one of his callused hands to wipe some of her tears from her cheeks.

"Jane, we should head home for a little while so that you can rest up and shower and we can come back in the morning to check on Mike" Hopper spoke softly knowing that this was not one of the times to use his authoritative voices.

El looked up from the ground and stared him straight in as she sniffled back another tear. "Not.. Leaving" She said quietly just loud enough for Hopper and Karen to hear her.

Hopper did not know how to proceed with this knowing that he couldn't force this girl to do something she did not want to do, all he could do was look to Karen with a pleading face seeing as she has had the most influence on Eleven's behavior since entering the hospital.

Karen noticed the look and smiled realizing that Hopper has finally met his match when it came to stubbornness. She leaned over to El and cupped her cheek with one of her hands causing El to look her in the eyes. Karen could see so much hurt built up inside of her eyes and she knew this poor girl needed to rest so she thought of the one thing that could possibly change her mind.

"Jane I know that you don't want to leave Mike right now, but if I know Mike, he would really want you to get some rest and to be able to clean yourself up and eat some food. I will stay with him all night so nothing will happen to him until you get back in the morning" Karen had hoped that this would be convincing enough; she had a hunch once she mentioned it was for Mike and noticed a shift in El's body language that she had struck the right chord with her.

El took in what Mike's mom said and knew that she was right. _Mike would want me to rest but I don't want to leave him…_

She regretfully accepts that they can leave as she turns to Hopper with a serious look on her face as she slowly rises from her chair.

"We…come back…in…the morning?" El asked looking at Hopper.

Knowing full well that what El had just said was more of an order than a question, he nodded his head, "Sure Jane, we will get you cleaned up and fed and we will come back here bright an early tomorrow morning" He regretfully said as he now realized he would have to get up stupidly early on a weekend.

El's stare went from Hopper to Karen and then finally settling her gaze on the important boy lying in the bed close by. She slowly walked up to him and looked down at his peaceful face as he slept. She slowly reached out with her left hand and ran her hand through his thick black hair as moisture was slowly forming in her eyes. She leaned down and whispered in Mike's ear, "Goodbye, Mike"

As she leaned back up and glanced back over to Hopper who was watching her she shrugged her shoulders as she announced, "Halfway Happy".

Hopper deciding that it was time to leave turned to Karen, "If there is anything you need call the department and one of the guys there will get a hold of me ok?"

Karen nodded her head in acknowledgement as she watched El walk back over to her and hug her one last time as she spoke, "It…was… nice to….meet you…Mrs. Wheeler" She let a small smile appear on her face briefly.

Karen smiled a soft smile as she returned the hug, "It was nice to meet you too Jane, I'm glad that Mike has a great friend like you to support him".

El smiled again as she thought back to something that was said earlier as she responded to Karen with a simple phrase, "More..than..friend".

Hopper rolled his eyes not fond of hearing that more than once as he led El to the room's door he looked back to Karen, " We will try to get back here around 9 unless this one drags me out of bed earlier" he stated pointing at El as she opened the door.

* * *

As Hopper shut the door behind him and him and El began walking back towards the entrance of the hospital they heard the sound loud kids as an older boy tried shushing them while he was taking to one of the nurses.

Hopper and El approached closer to notice that it was Steve talking with one of the nurses as Caleb, Dustin, and Max all stood there very impatiently.

"So you are telling us you can't tell us where Mike's room is because we aren't family? Steve asked the nurse honestly not understanding what the big deal was with giving him the room number.

"Yes I am sorry, but unless you are a family member we aren't supposed to give out room numbers to individuals" The nurse replied back.

Steve ran his hands through his hair in frustration as the other three let out groans of displeasure until they all looked over to see the Chief and El walking towards them.

The kids all ran up to them as Dustin and Caleb pulled El in for hugs making sure that she was ok as Steve went to stand next to Hopper to figure out the details of everything.

Hopper turned to him and quietly whispered, "They are not going to be able to see Mike tonight, and it took everything I had to pry El from that room. We are heading back to the cabin so she can rest and wash up and we are coming back tomorrow".

Steve acknowledged what he said with a simple head nod and then whispered back, "Well can you tell these three that" He said pointing to the two boys releasing El from their hugs and the Red head that was keeping a safe distance. "Because if I explain it they are just going to get pissy with me and tell me that I am going back on my promise" Steve stated feeling slightly guilty that he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise of them seeing Mike tonight.

Hopper turned around as El walked over to him giving Max a suspicious look as Hopper announce to the group, "Look El and I are heading back to my cabin so we can rest and get cleaned up and then we are coming back here in the morning. I hate to say it but there is absolutely no way they are going to allow you guys to see Mike tonight since visiting hours have been over for a while. I suggest you all go home and get cleaned up and get some rest and you can try coming back tomorrow if you can convince Steve here to bring you, Understood?" His voice growing very deep and serious at the last word he uttered making sure his point got across.

He received head nods from all of the kids including Steve, "Alright, c'mon El we are heading home" He turned on his heels and headed out the door with El on his heels leaving the four of them sitting there contemplating their next move before the realization hit them.

"God damn it… they both got to see Mike and we didn't find out if he was ok" Dustin yelled rubbing the back of his head in irritation.

"Shit now we have to wait till tomorrow just to find out how Mike is doing, although if you looked at El she didn't look very good" Lucas admitted sorrowfully.

"Look guys, there is no way I can go home right now. My parents are home as well as Billy, I need to stay of one your places" Max stated making it known that it wasn't a request.

Dustin and Lucas looked at each other as their eyes widened and smiles crept on to their faces as they turned back to Steve and Max who were giving them questioning looks.

"We can stop at each of our houses to grab some clothes and stuff" Dustin had started

"And we can tell our parents we are having a sleep over at Will's" Lucas ended as they both through their arms open in a "Ta-Da" manner.

Steve looked back and forth at the two and ran his hands through his hair as he turned toward the front door and began walking toward it.

"We need to hurry up if that's the plan then; we all need to get some sleep if you want to be back here early in the morning."

Caleb, Dustin and Max exchanged glances and then ran towards Steve so they could head out.

* * *

 **20 minutes later:**

Hopper pulled up to the spot he always parked his Jeep and had looked over into the passenger seat to see that El had fallen asleep on the drive home. _Well that will certainly make it easier to get her to go to sleep._ He chuckled to himself as he walked around and opened the passenger side door, he carefully picked El up in his arms without waking her, kicked the door shut and made his way up to the cabin.

He opened the front door to the feeling of pure heat, _Jesus Joyce you forgot to turn the heat down…_

Hopper carefully walked to El's room slowly pushing her door open and entering her room. He laid her down on her bed and wrapped some blankets around her. Once sure that she was fine he felt fatigue from the evening start to fully kick in as he made his way out to the couch. He dropped himself down onto the couch not catching himself at all as his head hit the pillow and he was out like a light the blackness taking over.

* * *

Where am I?

What is this place?

How did I get here?

The young boy peered around into the blackness trying to make sense of what his eyes were showing him. He looked around only to see himself standing in the darkness. He looked down to notice that he was wearing a hospital gown as he questioned why he was wearing one he looked past the gown to see the inky black liquid that made up the ground that his feet were standing on. _It's cold wherever this is._ He thought to himself as he began to wander around looking for some kind of sign or signal to tell him where he was when he heard two words echo throughout the darkness. Two words that forever will be engrained in his mind as the saddest moment in his life because of the fact that those words were uttered by the very special girl that has a hold of his heart.

"Goodbye Mike"

He looks around more, nervousness and anxiety starting to engulf him as he began to run but stopped as one of his hands shot to his stomach in pain as he almost doubled over. As he looked up his breath caught in his throat as his eyes gazed upon what he thought he would never see again. A huge lump grew in his throat as his eyes started to tear up as he saw her reacting to something that he had no clue what it was. _She was so sad… He wished he could take all of that away for her._

Mike slowly walked over to her as it appeared that she was hugging a woman who looked very familiar. As he approached slowly he realized who it was, "Mom" He gasped quietly even though they couldn't hear him. As he reached out to touch both of them they vanished just like that leaving him alone in the blackness once again. As he watched them fade he found himself slowly losing consciousness until he sees a door appear in the distance.

Mike glances at it curiously as he began walking toward it. After what seemed like he walked 100 feet it didn't seem like the door was getting any closer. Beginning to get frustrated Mike gave up on walking toward the door and decided to sit down and figure out what the hell was going on.

Just as he started his third idea of where the heck he was he heard the most angelic voice he had ever heard as it gasped, "Mike?"

He froze as he felt his heart beating out of control as he slowly turned around to reveal a girl, much shorter than him with slicked back hair and big doe eyes gazing right into his. He couldn't think of anything to say so he just whispered the first thing that came to his mind, "Eleven is that you?"

Tears started to course down El's face as she was looking into the eyes of the boy that she was told may never wake up. She had been to this place before to find people but never while she had been asleep, she remembered dozing off in Hoppers truck on the way home. _None of that matters_

She looked at him as she saw his eyes glisten with unshed tears as she couldn't take it anymore and launched herself into a sprint towards him. She couldn't keep herself away any longer she needed to know if this was really him as she noticed that he started to walk toward her wiping the tears from his eyes as he a smile softly appeared on his face.

As she finally reached him she half expected to pass right through him like when it happened all of the other times she had seen him here except this time it didn't. She met him and threw her arms around his neck as she nuzzled her face into his neck and cried, letting all of the emotions from the last 24 hours out.

Mike wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a deep hug as he could not help himself anymore as the tears he was keeping at bay were now free falling from his face.

 **(A/N: Hey guys again sorry for the delayed update. School schedule has been a bit hectic but I was finally able to complete this chapter! I hope you all enjoy! Also I hope that the bouncing back and forth between using Jane and El isn't too confusing, if it is let me know and I will try to fix it for easier reading. Thanks guys for reading!)**


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